SemiCharmed Life
by the-Paigey-pooh
Summary: Ruffnut has made some terrible relationship choices. SO, is it another mistake when she begins to like Fishlegs as more than friend? And what happens when her old flame decides he wants her to himself?
1. Observations

**Authors Note:** **This is my first **_**real**_** attempt at a perception of Ruffnut/Fishlegs pairing. I'm fond of the both the character's in particular, and I think their chemistry is fun to portray and discuss. **

**My other pairing will make appearances, such as Hiccup and Astrid and my OC's. But the story predominantly focuses on Ruff and Fish ;) This is mainly more of a plot development/character study I'm doing to assist me in better understanding how I want things to flow in a much more event-packed romance I'm writing focusing on Hiccup/Astrid.**

**As for its progress; I will get there when I get there! Harrumph…**

**(The title and some of the developing metaphors for this fiction are inspired by the song 'Semi-Charmed Life' by Third Eye Blind. Go check it out, though I'm sure it may already be a recognizable tune! )**

**Read. Enjoy. Review. Write on, friends. **_**Skinny-da-Pooh is OUUUT! **_

)))))))The beginning(((((((

Fishlegs sat trying to adjust the harness on his Gronckle, Meatlug. The large creature was refusing to sit still and Fishlegs was pleading with it.

"Come on, now, Meatlug, the sooner we finish we-Meatlug, now don't go that way...Meatlug, come back here this instant!"

"MEATLUG!" Ruffnut exclaimed ere the boisterous dragon trotted off.

Fishlegs jumped at the imposing sound of her voice. "I'm pretty sure they don't react to volume..." he began.

But the dragon had halted and was reluctantly loping uncoordinatedly back to where the two Vikings stood.

Fishlegs sighed. "Okay, I guess that did work. I was wrong." he said, apologetically.

Ruffnut grinned, flirtatious. "Oh, it isn't your fault. You aren't wrong, I'm just always right." she said, patting the Gronckle's nose.

Fishlegs looked to the ground, apprehensively. "You're right, I guess." he murmured.

Ruffnut looked to him quizzically. Was that some attempt at wittiness, she thought, incredulously. She laughed, but in a way Fishlegs had never heard before.

It wasn't her usual intimidating cackle, but instead a legitimate chuckle, to show that she genuinely found something to be funny.

Fishlegs blushed, and then scrambled forward to seize the Gronckle by the collar of the harness. "Uh, thanks again, Ru-Ruffnut." he said, dragging the dragon away with effort.

"Don't mention it. I mean, seriously, don't. The last thing I need is for somebody to think we're friends or something." she said, glancing away from him.

Fishlegs nodded vigorously. "Of course, my lips are sealed!" he guaranteed.

Ruffnut looked back to the Viking, appalled at his disability to understand her malice. If it had no affect on him, then why convey it? She thought.

"You know I'm kidding, right?" she said, crossing her arms.

A vacant expression crossed his face. "So, we are friends?" he asked, optimistic.

Ruffnut stared at him, and acknowledged his eagerness. So he wanted them to be friends, did he? Ruffnut shrugged. He was being sincere, and besides, what could it hurt?

"Yeah, sure, Fishlegs." she said passively, but managed a lopsided grin.

Fishlegs beamed. "I won't disappoint you!" he said.

Ruffnut laughed again, not being able to recall the last time anyone had so highly upheld a friendship with her. And she couldn't help but find it peculiarly flattering. But she quickly rebuked the notion, shaking it from her mind to clear her thoughts.

"See you later, 'kay?" she said, and swiftly ducked out of the entrance to the stables, leaving Fishlegs to gawk blissfully at her.

)))))))the transition(((((((

At the closing of another day, and in turn, another extensive collection of notes, Fishlegs closed the covers of his leather bound notebook, and walked with a decisive finality out of the Zippleback stable.

Peering up at the pink shade of the clouds, Fishlegs deduced it had to be the correct time for dinner, which in his case consisted of considerably larger portions and a long conversation with Hiccup about his latest theories.

The other's joined them; Astrid, Tuffnut, Ruffnut and Snotlout, but none of them could comprehend his ramblings, or if they did they hadn't a care in Midgard what Zippleback's do all day.

Fishleg's assumed the latter, but he didn't seem to mind their indifference if he could have at least a one person audience.

Strolling through the village with his notebook under his arm, he greeted the passers-by cordially and stopped to have small talk with other's he knew exclusively. His Gronckle followed him in an assiduous manner, only ever straying to pluck a ham-hock from some unsuspecting villager's supply.

But as he ventured further towards the designated meeting place chosen by his circle of friends, and he weaved through the village youth moving in pods, he couldn't help but note that there were less 'pods' and more 'pairs' than usual. And his observation was undoubtedly keen.

It was no surprise to see Hiccup and Astrid conversing hand-in-hand on their commute; they'd been an item for years now. But other couples were more new-fangled.

A blonde down the street from Fishleg's lodge was arm in arm with a tall burly red-head.

Snotlout was flirting, and astoundingly succeeding, as he was warranting quite a few giggles from the younger teenage females.

Tuffnut had finally decided to stop beating around the bush and publicly introduce Svenvella* as his girlfriend; which everyone had perceived as foreseeable nonetheless.

But most intriguing out of all the pairings and matches, was perhaps the lack thereof in one very singular case. Ruffnut Thorston, who had blossomed into a striking young woman over the years he had known her, stood twirling her wavy blonde hair between her fingers, looking more feminine in that moment than she ever had to Fishlegs; and he regretted she was alone.

He blue eyes flitted from person to person, as if sizing up their potential, and then returned to the familiar faces of her brother and friends, who had finally congregated to their meeting place at the entrance of the blacksmith stall. She finally looked over to Fishlegs as he approached, giving him an odd once-over and then averting her eyes hastily, as if hoping no one had noticed.

"Glad you could make it, Legs. I'm starving." Tuffnut jabbed, giving him an irritated look.

"You could have gone on without me." He pointed out, but their little group was already migrating towards the precipitous steps ascending to the Great Hall.

"Yeah, we could have…" Tuffnut reinstated, sliding an arm around Vella's thin waist.

Snotlout put an arm around Ruffnut, and ignored her obvious disdain.

"We wouldn't do that, Fish. Never leave a friend behind, right?" he said, glancing at Ruffnut for some sort of retort.

She responded by promptly elbowing him in the stomach and continuing up the stairs.

"I never want your armpit that close to my face again, 'friend'." She said, crossing her arms across her chest.

The group snickered as Snotlout lagged behind, clutching his abdomen in pain.

Fishlegs was already adjacent to Hiccup as they entered to illustrious doors of the Great Hall.

"-which I've discovered could be some kind of mechanism that duly connects both heads. And that's how they can both communicate telepathically and converse independently." Fishlegs rambled, ere they sat down at their customary table.

Astrid scoffed. "You're telling me that there is some kind of inner-link _inside their bodies_ that makes everything work. And you suggest they can talk through it?" **

Hiccup shrugged, still apprehensive. "Hey, anything's possible." He said, being uncharacteristically optimistic.

Fishlegs continued, gesticulating excitedly with his mutton leg and barely registering the furtive glances he was inadvertently receiving from Ruffnut.

She picked at her food, being all but ignored by her brother as he sought to impress the other girl seated beside him, and Snotlout was absent at the moment, having been enthusiastically summoned by the aforementioned group of females. The remaining party of the table was otherwise preoccupied.

With a prolonged exhalation of sheer boredom, she rose abruptly from the table and left, crossing her arms and shaking her head hurriedly.

Everyone's heads simultaneously turned in shock, watching her depart with purposeful steps.

Astrid dismissed herself just as hastily, jogging behind Ruffnut.

Fishlegs observed them both leave, looking to Hiccup in utter befuddlement.

"That was… unexpected." Hiccup said, putting his elbow on the table, and resting his chin on his hand contemplatively.

"Have you noticed anything unusual about her lately?" he continued, gazing across the Hall at the conferring girls, who were discussing something quite heatedly.

Fishlegs placed his mutton leg onto the wooden platter with finality, and lacing his eyebrows together. Throughout the last few days, nothing had eluded him more significantly than Ruffnut's behavior, and he said so.

"Well, ever since she had that short fling with Splint, she's been really moody…err, more so than usual." Hiccup concluded, ere Fishlegs scoffed.

The mention of Splint as the culprit for Ruffnut's obvious misery instilled in him a seed of bitterness that he was at a loss to explain.

Fishlegs looked to his left, anticipating some contribution from her twin on the topic, but he had vanished.

Splint was the village rebel-rouser; and imagined to have been the perfect match for Ruffnut. Blunt and conceited, they shared none too many traits, but the spirit in which they displayed their actions was uncannily similar. ***

But Fishlegs would dispute that Ruffnut had more self-respect than the likes of Splint, and disliked any verbal association betwixt the two people, especially concerning any relationships they allegedly had had.

With a livid reverie, Fishlegs was soon lost from the conversation Hiccup appeared to be continuing by himself, and instead configuring the ambiguity of Ruffnut's melancholy and trying to find a solution…

**-So I hope this was long enough/not too choppy/etc. Don't worry; this isn't the end! Next chapter will be up very soon! (I hope!) **

*** I will officially introduce Svenvella separately in another story/ several one shots, so don't be alarmed by the random inclusion of her in the story, but bear in mind that you won't need a lot of understanding of the pairing to get the story. **

**** Yes, Fishlegs is centuries ahead of his time and already theorizing about the nervous system… Astrid isn't a fan of modern science, obviously. **

***** Not another random person, you will learn a lot more about him later ;) (Romantic intrigue!) **


	2. Plans

**Here it is! It's not very long, but takes place just before where we left off in the first installment. **

**Hope you like it, and it gives you some more insight. **

Ruffnut feverishly yanked a brush through her uncouth blonde hair, her face a bitter grimace, either in dissatisfaction at the outcome, or in sheer hurt from the manner in which she was brushing it.

Observing her reflection in the mirror, which she also observed had gone a long time without a good polishing, she shrugged, giving into the unequivocal fact that she faced: her hair was an unruly beast that refused to be tamed; and the best solution to the situation, was unfortunately to braid it three ways.

Pouting, she began separating the otherwise matted strands to begin the process, bemoaning her lack of spontaneity for yet another day.

Beauty was important to Vikings, too; especially the particularly crude ones.

Ruffnut exhaled, perplexed, and turned away from the unforgiving mirror and the reflection it produced.

She heard the thudding footfalls of her brother down the hall, who was undoubtedly going to commence to bang vehemently against the door until she exited the room.

Quickly tying the last braid with a balled-up knot, she fled from the room, pushing her brother out of the way and leaping through the door-way, out into the day.

She had plans; real plans, other than flying with her brother and meandering around with Astrid, of course.

In fact, one could even call Ruffnut's 'plans' a date; if only Splint preferred that term.

Splint; the boy every girl dreamed about, and he had plans with Ruffnut. She couldn't help but be proud of herself. It wasn't often she was interested in a boy, much less a boy be interested in her.

All around her, the day seemed a little bit brighter, and she was glad that it was Splint that had the chance to make her happy. Splint wasn't exactly the type of guy the mostly provincial girls on Berk fraternized with, but that's not to say they didn't fantasize. In fact, his reputation was enough that even her brother might've cared if he knew; which is why she had left in such a flurry.

_At the top of the hill, behind the training arena_, he'd told her in a whisper, in which his warm breath had tingled inside her ear and she had caught scent of his brilliant musk, which had intoxicated her almost completely. She'd have agreed to anything in that moment, when she had been so drunk off his presence.

She passed each of the villager's with cheeriness, so uncharacteristic of her, that some Vikings found their eyes following her in awe at her happiness.

Crossing the bridge to the arena, she admired the aerial stunts being performed via Viking and Night Fury to her left, which further lifted her spirits like a gust of favorable wind.

Splint was lounging nonchalantly against the stone wall that created the perimeter of the arena, but smiled slyly ere he spotted Ruffnut sauntering towards him confidently.

Splint's Terrible Terror alighted on his shoulder and peered down from its handsome perch like a remorseless vulture, its scarlet scales blazing even in the shadow of the arena. It chortled with disapproval and Ruffnut was tempted to swat at it contemptuously, as he was preventing her from embracing his owner.

Splint seemed to ignore his dragon's disdain, and reached his hand out towards Ruffnut's thin waist, pulling her closer to him as the red Terror hissed.

"Shut up Brimstone." He snapped, shrugging to make the reptile lose its footing.

"Why'd you bring that disgusting little lizard with you?" Ruffnut said, slinging her arms around his neck with a slinky casualty.

"Brimstone… he's really not such an ass once you get to know him." He said, his hands venturing further up her slender back.

"Get to know him… Can I just get to know _you_ first?" she flirted, batting her eyelashes.

Splint appeared enticed by her blue eyes, and touched her lips gently with tip of his finger.

"Shh- don't talk." He said, and Ruffnut laughed, closing her eyes.

She waited for that almighty sensation of Splint's moist lips meeting hers with fervor, but found their seemed to be no distance breached between his face and hers.

"Open your eyes!" he said with a condescending snort.

Ruffnut opened them and scowled. "Way to go, Splint, you just missed your chance with me." She said, creating a bit more space between them.

Splint displayed a naughty grin. "You don't give me chances, I make chances… I'd be more worried about you missing your chance with _me_."

He yanked her closer and Ruffnut laughed, running her hands along his toned bare arms.

Most guys in the village wore sleeveless clothing; excepting Hiccup, but you might as well not even try including him with 'most guys' in the first place. And yet… there was something so very unfamiliar and _sexy_ about Splint's exposed muscles that Ruffnut was at a loss to place.

"Well, you're probably right, but I'm only going to give you one more chance to kiss me, Splint. I don't mess around."

"I don't know if you've heard, sweetheart, but I _do_ mess around."

Ruffnut felt herself laughing again, but she was beginning to find what he was saying to grow increasingly more arrogant and controlling than she would like.

But with every passing moment, he pulled her in more than he pushed her away, and before she knew it his mouth was pressed against hers, and she was _kissing him._

She had just granted Splint VinBrookson her first kiss. And her doubt flew from her mind like a flock of birds into the sun; quick and completely obscured in seconds.

**Well, there it was. Very short, but it's your first glimpse at Splint. **

**What'd you think of him? Does he remind you anyone you know? He is actually inspired by two different people I know… And they are both just as rude all the time and **_**girls still fall for it**_**. **

**Next chapter jumps back to where we left off! Hope theses haven't been too choppy… PLEASE REVIEW! **


	3. Good Riddance

Astrid was rather unorthodox when it came to femininity. She was clearly fetching; but her capacity for 'girliness' was surprisingly low.

But that didn't mean Astrid didn't care for Ruffnut like any girl who'd become close pals with a fellow female her age.

At the latter of eighteen, they'd known each other nearly their entire lives; so they were undoubtedly chummy, as one might suspect. But Astrid recognized her as the one and only girl on the island who could keep her secrets, and vice versa.

She'd known about Ruffnut's infatuation with Splint for as long as Ruffnut had known herself. She'd known the details about their split, and had noticed how reserved Ruffnut had been since then.

But when everything had just begun to fall back into normalcy, and Splint was mentioned less and less, Astrid found she worried over it less and less.

So, to say the least, it surprised her when Ruffnut got up in a steamy aggravation from their table, and showed no signs of wishing to be consoled.

But Astrid's feminine intuition told her 'be the shoulder she cries on.' Leaving just as abruptly, she wrenched her hand from Hiccup's grasp and followed after the pensive blonde ahead of her.

The only two people left at the table were Fishlegs and Hiccup; Tuffnut had been monitoring his twin's brooding since this morning, and didn't want to be around when she finally burst.

Astrid caught up with Ruffnut as her escape route was blocked by a group of raucous Vikings brandishing recently topped off ale mugs. She shoved her shoulder against the nearby wall aggressively, crossing her arms as she willed them to separate by the look of loathing written across her face.

Assuming the men weren't too intoxicated to distinguish a grin from a glower…

Astrid cleared her throat to gain her attention, but Ruffnut was too obstinate to give her any acknowledgement.

"Alright, what's the problem, here, Ruffnut?" Astrid said; if she wasn't going to say on her own, Astrid would interrogate her.

Ruffnut averted her eyes from the rowdy human wall to her friend, a silky sweet smile spreading on her face.

"I don't have a problem! Do _you_ have one you wanna talk about?" she answered through a gritted grin.

Astrid sighed.

"What did I do wrong this time?" she said, irritation finding its way into her intentionally soothing tone.

"Oh, you haven't done anything wrong, Astrid, darling. But that's just it, isn't it? You haven't done _anything._" She retorted, sarcasm dripping in her words.

Astrid was struck with the temptation to give her a good verbal lashing for her superfluous hostility, but as the words built up, making her face go red, she exhaled and closed her eyes.

"What is it you want me to do?" she asked slowly.

Ruffnut turned her head, not able to look at her friend. Not even she knew the answer to the question. She was beginning to speculate why she wanted to push her only confidant away, but then she closed her eyes and her mind was flooded with painful images of Splint, smiling, condescending, arrogant, beautiful Splint, and she was reminded; she didn't have to think about him if she was angry. It was petty, and would only temporarily solve anything, irrevocably breaking more than it had the potential to fix.

But when one finds themselves with no means to mend a broken heart, they can only think for the moment, because the future is too depressing; too unclear.

She swiveled on her heel, viciously, and peered down at Astrid, who'd remained very petite to her dismay, while Ruffnut had grown nearly a foot in three years.

"I don't want you to do anything! I don't want anything to do with you in the first place." She said matter-of-factly.

Astrid looked up at her through her long eye-lashes, not yet pushed to her limit.

"This seems really sudden, Ruff. I don't believe a word of any of it." She said, crossing her arms.

Ruffnut pouted.

"Well, I'll tell you this, then. Has it escaped your notice that I basically am never around anymore?"

"Were you _trying_ to make someone notice it? Or were you hoping I wouldn't?"

"No, what I'm trying to say is, you're way too busy for me! You never give me any real relief from the fact that the only guy who'll ever give a damn about me isn't worth a damn himself; and when you do, you always give me that brainless little 'it's alright, I'm going to make it better' look. Well, it doesn't work!"

Astrid pursed her lips, still unimpressed with her insults.

"So, I don't even get credit for _trying_ to make you feel better? Which is impossible anyway since your self-esteem is so low…" she countered nonchalantly.

Ruffnut jerked her head away. This argument was getting her nowhere. But she had one last card to play; telling Astrid she didn't care was something neither of them believed; but convincing her she was a lousy job at something always floored her. Then throw some salt in an old wound; and you have an addled Astrid.

"Look at you. And you're trying to convince me you care? You came over here trying to _comfort_ me? Well, I gotta say, you're doing a wonderful job, Astrid."

She tensed; Ruffnut had hit a nerve after all.

"Implying that you are making this any easier! I came over here to ask you what was wrong and you spit in my face!"

"I was kind of peeved when I left the table; or did you forget about that? I'm beginning to question if you are even worth talking to about anything anymore. The moment you came over here, you just put me in a worse mood. You know, I don't think you really even care what I feel like in the first place, Astrid. You're so wrapped up in your flawless little world, wanting to make it look like you're some fantastic friend just to make yourself feel like some better person. I'm not buying it!"

Astrid bristled even more. But Ruffnut wasn't even finding sense in her own words, anymore.

"You can't do that. You can't make me feel like a horrible person just because you don't want to be happy. Odin forbid you should face some sort of disappointment after you go after someone notorious for messing around. It's no wonder you can't tell someone who cares about you from someone who could care less who you are."

Ruffnut hadn't expected her to fire back with the truth.

And the only thing big enough to cut through it all was the truth. Everyone knew it; Ruffnut knew it.

But she didn't want to believe.

Splint had 'I told you so' written all over him.

But she'd grown so accustomed to him, and his ways… maybe Astrid was right.

The notion that Astrid's words rang true scared Ruffnut; and she'd do anything to assure herself that that wasn't true.

Splint did care about her; he _had_ to.

_Any other morning, Ruffnut would've woken up and gone to her usual meeting place behind the now vacant training arena, but she'd been apprehensive to go since Splint's remarks from yesterday. _

_With Brimstone perched perilously on his left shoulder, as usual, his eyes glistening, he's assured her that he wasn't seeing absolutely anyone else. _

"_Who cares about her? Not me!" he'd said, reaching out to insure that she uncrossed her arms and loosened her tense muscles. _

"_You can't help but hear people… And I may not be what you want all the time." Ruffnut heard herself say. Why had she said that? _

_It's what he'd wanted to hear. _

'_Apologies' and 'excuses' like that one had become automatic; second-nature and instantaneous with the slightest indication that his mood had changed. She was so accustomed to supplying them that she barely had time to think about it. It made her nervous, sometimes. _

_But not as uncomfortable as she was when she thought she'd disappointed him somehow. _

"_Ruff, you don't have to worry about that… the moment I feel like I'm tired of you, you won't have to guess." He said with a half-hearted chuckle. _

Laugh_, she thought ruefully. _

_But his 'reassurance' had unnerved her. Had that worked on her before? She really couldn't remember. Her thoughts were being interrupted by his fingers guiding her chin towards his until their lips touched. _

_She bit his bottom lip and he laughed. _

"_What was that for, sweetheart?" _

"_I wasn't done talking to you." _

_He appraised her with indignation and surreptitious disdain behind his bemused gaze. _

"_Why don't you cool off and come back when you're ready to stop being so defensive. I don't have the time." He said. _

_Ruffnut felt her eyebrows come together on her forehead and she backed out of his embrace. _

"_What _do _you have time for, Splint?" she asked icily, but was already walking away from him when he opened his mouth to speak._

"_What don't you get about it? _I don't want to be around you_." She supplied shoving his out-stretched hands away. _

_She nearly doubted herself; those beautiful, smooth, and oh so gentle hands shouldn't be treated that way. _

_But then again, she shouldn't be treated by those hands when she didn't have to be. _

_Splint turned her around abruptly as he reached for her again, his jaw set into a dangerous line she'd seen only once before; and it'd scared her in submission. _

_But she was gonna have to be damned if he tried to touch her again without her permission. _

_As she jerked out of his grasp, his face settled back into its typical seductive sweetness, trying to lure her back to him. But she couldn't understand why… it's not like he truly cared; or so she was sure a moment ago. _

"_Sweetheart…" _

"_I'm _not_ your sweetheart; or anyone else's for that matter. How else can I say this to you?" she blurted, turning her face away from that slinky smile. _

"_I'm finished." She said, ere she ran from him and didn't look back. _

_The sky seemed the brightest it had since that fateful day she first met Splint behind the training arena; when she'd been happy to have his attention. And now, she was discovering how wonderful the bliss was when she'd shaken that dependency. _

_Now she was her own woman; she didn't belong to anyone or anything in the whole wide world. _

_As she walked through the village with a confident smile on her face, she felt a surge of pride in herself for finally listening to her better judgment and leaving Splint behind. _

_And yet, no matter how independent she felt now, she felt she wouldn't know what to do with it for very long. _

_Splint still had a hold on her mind if not her heart; he'd gradually convinced the beautiful young woman that he was the only thing she needed, and in doing so she'd forgotten about everything else and only lived for fulfilling what he wanted to in turn fulfill her own need. _

_So backwards had he left her, so shallow was her esteem that she would have to regain it all in reverse until she met back with the fork in the road where she'd chosen Splint and not something, anything else. _

**Okay, so it's been months since I touched this, but FYI, I did write this a long time ago and am now show-casing it. The prose is jumbled, the flashbacks are many and confusing, but hey; it be an update, peoples. So, from the deepest part of my heart, I apologize to those who have kept up with it until this point, you're probably wondering what hemisphere of the Earth I managed to fall over… **


	4. The Process of Thinking Too Much

**I took me forever to post Chapter Four, but after I did I thought it a crime to wait to make you wait too long for #5… so you're welcome :P**

Hiccup walked alongside his girlfriend, quite impressed with her mad gesticulations and how she sped into her words when she got to the important parts. Astrid was completely irate over her argument with Ruffnut which had ended with them storming away from each other and going their separate ways in a hurry. And as she explained it, she was a cyclone of emotions and knit eyebrows and long drawn out groans of exasperation.

But Hiccup chuckled to himself because as much as she was willing to act as though she was livid and frustrated and tragically misunderstood, she wouldn't be compelled to act so rattled if she wasn't hurt. Hiccup was good at spotting vulnerability, so maybe he was the only one who'd noticed. Or perhaps he'd just known Astrid far too long to believe her capable of true resentment; or maybe his perception of it was all based on the fact that she looked cute when she was angry. The latter probably had the most to do with it.

Regardless, Hiccup knew she just needed someone to listen to her fume before she really admitted what was wrong. That much he'd learned the hard way. You didn't expose Astrid's faults; you admired them from afar.

So as she ranted, he thought. This had something to do with Splint, he was sure of it. If it had _anything_ to do with Ruffnut, it had something to do with Splint.

Hiccup didn't know Splint that well; but who did? But it was quite evident that Splint liked two things: women, and getting his way. It was unclear as to which he enjoyed more, but it was a well-known fact that Splint gets his way with women. So he could see where Astrid was concerned. But what he just couldn't understand is why Ruffnut Thorston, by Odin, would ever let herself be taken advantage of?

_I suppose we all have our weaknesses in love_… he thought, looking to the sky. Hel, it was clear to everyone that if there was one thing that could bring him to his knees it was Astrid Hofferson. He was crazy for her. And that phrase could be taken anyway you liked it; but perhaps in Ruffnut's case it could be taken literally.

_But Splint didn't get his way,_ he pondered, _because she ended it… didn't she?_

Astrid's urgent cursing was being to quell and he shook his thoughts away from his own wonderings to focus on her. He didn't want to be accused of being too dense to hear her out.

"I'm just afraid she's going to make a huge mistake. And she's already done that by letting him ruin her the way he has, you know?" she said.

"Now, Astrid, saying she's 'ruined' isn't exactly-"

"Well what do you call it? Since the moment she started fooling around with him, she hasn't been the same person at all! I don't know who she is anymore! It's like if she isn't happy because of Splint and what she's been through, then no one is allowed to be. I don't deserve that, Hiccup. But neither does she. And I-I…"

Hiccup tried to keep a smile from escaping. "Astrid, just say it. Say 'I don't know what to do'."

She bit her lip. "Well I don't! I shouldn't care… but I do."

Hiccup shrugged. "It's good that you care. That's what friends do. Good ones, anyway. And I may not know exactly what she said, or what is going on between her and Splint; but I do know this. You did everything you could; if she doesn't want help then you can't help her. Maybe something will happen for her to realize her mistake… or maybe she'll have to learn from a new one. Point being, there's nothing you can do besides hope that at least she'll realize on her own what she's doing and she can move on and be better for it."

"Alright…." She conceded, leaning into him.

He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer.

"I think you're a good friend Astrid." He said.

Astrid siphoned her breath for a moment, and then Hiccup felt her smile.

"You think too much." She said.

"You talk too much." He replied, grinning.

Hiccup enjoyed the silence that followed. Because when there was just him and Astrid and the night sky, it didn't matter about anything else, because he just felt lucky.

He peered ahead of them, just making out Fishlegs fretting ahead of them at the next corner. He'd left soon after Astrid had come back, presumably to go feed Meatlug. Maybe the Gronckle had wandered off again; it was prone to do that.

And then again, he remembered Fishlegs always having somewhat of a nervous nature. When everything went as planned he was perfectly calm; for he was a very routine person. And the way things had been going these past few years Hiccup figured he'd either outgrown himself or things just went smooth for him. So to see him looking so worrisome was out of place for now. It was definitely out of place for late at night out in the street.

"Hey, 'Legs!" he called out, startling the large Viking. He seemed to panic for a minute until he saw Hiccup approaching. Maybe Hiccup wasn't his best friend, but lately he'd been the person he confided in the most. The future chief was just easy to talk to.

He turned to meet him as they drew near and stood knocking his fists together like he was struggling to remember something.

"Where you headed? Meatlug run off on you again?" Hiccup inquired with that oblivious grin of his, Astrid under his arm, yawning.

Fishlegs bit the inside of his lip. "Nope, no, uh, I was just… thinking that I-forgot! To tell you something." He stuttered.

Hiccup shook his head with a grin. "Okay then."

Fishlegs smiled for effect and coughed into his hand.

Astrid raised her brows, and slid out from under Hiccup's arm over her shoulders. "I'll give you guys space; don't worry." She said.

Hiccup shook his head. "Wait what? No, I'll walk you home."

Astrid shrugged. "No need. You guys need to talk, obviously."

She stood on her toes to give Hiccup a peck on his freckled cheek, and jogged off, turning to wink at him.

Hiccup threw his hands up, flushing.

Fishlegs looked to the ground. "Sorry about that."

Hiccup waved it off. "It's fine. That's Astrid for you, anyway."

"Yeah. That's Astrid, I guess. I guess you know her better than anybody."

Hiccup shrugged with a bleary sigh. "I try to."

Fishlegs bit his lip and they began walking.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" his friend asked, kicking a stone with his good foot; the only one left anyway.

Fishlegs romped forward, sighing.

"You remember before I left, when we were talking about Ruffnut? And it looked like her and Astrid were having some sort of, um, fight?"

"It was only about an hour ago. Sure I remember. Astrid was telling me about it on the way here."

"Well… it got me thinking. I don't like what's going on. What were they arguing about anyway?"

Hiccup pursed his lips, looking up at Fishlegs. Hiccup had managed nearly a foot since he lost his leg, but even when he was almost Tuffnut's height and Astrid was shorter than him by a few inches, Fishlegs towered over him. He was a massive mound of fidgeting muscle, and he had a thick blonde beard that had grown down to his chest. It was said of first impressions that they are almost always inaccurate; and Fishlegs was a prime example. For so large a fellow, he was absolutely harmless.

Hiccup kicked the stone again, beginning to explain the argument between Ruffnut and his girlfriend.

Fishlegs listened intently as he talked about how Ruffnut had accused her friend of never having enough time for her; how she said Astrid wasn't doing a good job comforting her after what she'd been through.

"Because of Splint." Fishlegs interjected, his fists clenching.

Hiccup nodded, a bit surprised.

"Yeah, because of Splint..." he said. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

Fishlegs stopped walking. "Yes. That's it. Thanks."

Hiccup felt himself cock his head just slightly like Toothless did whenever someone's behavior perplexed him. And Fishleg's behavior was very confusing. He'd never been this interested in Ruffnut before, or if he had he'd kept it to himself. He had noticed throughout the past few months how he tensed whenever Splint was mentioned. There was something more to this that Hiccup wasn't picking up on, and he wanted to know what it was that was making his friend so troubled.

"You okay?" he felt himself asking.

Fishlegs opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself, looking out across the water on either side of the wooden walkway.

"I don't like what's happening. To Ruffnut, I mean."

"But… You're alright?" Hiccup asked, searching his friend's face for some discrepancy.

"One-hundred percent." He replied, with a half-hearted smile.

Hiccup wasn't so sure; but they parted at the next corner as Hiccup started to ascend towards the cottage on the hilltop and Fishlegs loped over to the stables.

Fishlegs was glad Hiccup wasn't the type to ask too many questions. He was even surprised with himself for being so forward. The fact of the matter was Fishlegs had grown first-rate at observing things. The only time his thoughts got expressed was whenever he felt compelled to write something down. Oh, it was well known that once upon a time, Fishlegs was quick to mention anything on his mind, making him a rather awkward youth. But the pain-staking realization that no one really listened to him had silenced him in nature. Fishlegs still felt the same way about just about everything; but it wasn't often he ever said anything about it.

So it astonished even him when he was willing to be so honest about where he stood with what was happening to Ruffnut. It indicated that he cared quite a lot about her; which was something within himself that he was only just beginning to discover.

But despite being convinced that she was being victimized in some way, he still couldn't help being frustrated with her, and how she was overlooking him. How _everyone_ was overlooking him.

Without apprehending it, he began to pace; back and forth, back and forth, propelled by passionate, intense thought. Fishlegs couldn't remember the last time something had made him pace. He actually couldn't remember ever having paced over something in his life.

He felt his thoughts spinning and spinning through his mind, but there was one person in particular running through his thoughts like a hurricane: Ruffnut Thorston.

He would kill for her, he was frustrated by her, and he was bewildered with his own mind-set. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before; no one had ever made him feel this way.

Even though Fishlegs would never have guessed it… the fact was simple.

Fishlegs was already in love with her, and he didn't even know it.

Ruffnut sat quivering in the cold, damp wind that characterized the last real days of summer. The summer for her had been high and low; steady and hectic.

_I'm alone_… she thought; and then she laughed, despite herself.

Ruffnut Thorston; alone! The feeling was quite new for a twin, or a girl who'd at least known more than one good friend in her adolescent life.

But with every wavelength of her body, mind, soul… she couldn't shake the feeling that all around her was nothing, emptiness, despair.

And with every drop of sarcasm left in her self-deprecating head, she cursed herself.

_What the Hel do you plan to do about it genius? _

She slumped and sagged against the jagged stone steps. Loneliness was completely foreign to her; and it made her tired.

Tired of being alone, tired of being misunderstood, tired of herself for not doing anything about it.

Ruffnut was alone, and tired.

And frustrated.

Ruffnut had been angry before. Living with the likes of Tuffnut Thorston is enough to make the most amiable person angry at least three times a day. Svenvella _was_ the most amiable person, and that undoubtedly happened to her. But while Ruffnut could always think of an excuse to be mad at her brother for the moment, it never meant much to her and no one could honestly accuse her of being a short-fuse.

Too bad then, that Ruffnut was so frustrated. Not with her brother, or with Splint, or even, honestly with Astrid, despite their confrontation; no, Ruffnut was dangerously mad at herself.

To think that the one good thing she'd done by herself after meeting Splint was trying to rid herself of him, and it was like being thrown in a cold dark room, with only a small hole in the wall; so she could peer out of it and see all the wonderful things that seemed to be happening to everyone else.

She wanted to scream at fate; it was the only thing at this point she didn't feel rotten accusing. But fate was too fond of laughing at her.

And as much as she hated it, she was addicted to Splint. And being without him was like a bitter, shaky withdrawal.

She'd convinced herself that she _needed _himfor so long, that now she couldn't be herself without him. She couldn't be herself with him either, and she couldn't pick between the two poisons.

_You're going to have to do something…_ she thought to herself resentfully.

And at that point she steered her pitiful rage into finding a solution; and an outcome would undoubtedly not be a good one.

Wiping her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest in defense from the icy wind, she made up her mind that it _had_ to better to be taken advantage of in the tainted name of love than be miserable and alone.

_At least if I found Splint I wouldn't be so damned cold… _she thought bitterly, sniffling. She stood up abruptly, taking a quick few steps down the stairs, but then pausing; like her body was trying to remember to warn her of regret.

But she shook it away and continued in a hurry down the stone steps; fleeing from her better judgment into the arms of false security; as if she might wait too long to make a hasty decision.

She stumbled down, away from the Mead Hall and to find Splint, wherever he might be.

I suppose you could blame it on an ill-repaired heart and the adrenaline of a love-sick teenager; but it was the part of her heart that didn't seem to be functioning very well that was the part where her sense was buried, hidden behind a barrier of pride and hormones.

And Ruffnut was running away from it as fast as her feet could carry her.

**Cliffhanger! Sort of… I told you pretty much what she was deciding to do. **

**Tossed in some Hicrid fluff there in the beginning. Their dynamics are just too cute not to write about jus' a lil' bit ;) **

**So it appears we've reached a climax. I would really REALLY like some reviews on this chapter particularly because of some of the plot movements. **

**I hope the characters are believable mainly. I took a real dive into some of them in this chapter. Probably because at this point everyone is all hot and bothered… ha.. innuendo. Foreshadowing innuendo at that… **

**But I've said too much already! ;) **

**I hope you don't think I'm a sap with all my metaphors there towards the end. **

**REVIEWS! :D (plz )**


	5. On Hiatus

**Just wanted to let everyone know that I haven't given up on this story, it just got too out of hand trying to continue writing it! I deeply apologize from the bottom of my heart about my lateness, and so sorry to those following it! **

**I have the synopsis worked out in my head, I just have to finish it! If I had a sliver of something presentable, I'd post it… **

**Not to mention right now, my hiatus of this site is only over because I'm writing another fic…**

**Once again, still gonna pursue this, just don't expect anything too soon. **


End file.
